These are some off-topic thoughts I had while writing up a post for my New Media, New Politics? class. I know I haven’t been posting much, and that’s entirely my fault. So much as happened in my life, I don’t know where to begin. These thoughts will have to do for now.
…
Over the long weekend, I had three quick thoughts that I wanted to pass along.
One. Last week, Chicago Public Radio’s darling, This American Life, did the world a favor by running an episode carefully explaining the current financial crisis. If you have any doubts in your mind about what caused the crisis, listening to the show will be one of the most helpful beneficial things you’ll do this month. The This American Life website says the hosts will, “…explain what happened this week, including what regulators could’ve done to prevent this financial crisis from happening in the first place.” I highly recommend it; it’s both entertaining and intellectually rewarding.
Two. The level of hatred in this race really saddens me. When I look at some comments or rallies on both sides of the fence, I don’t see civil and democratic disagreements. In fact, I don’t see anything. I feel disturbing levels of hatred and malice towards the opposing candidate. Hate isn’t a partisan issue. Lies aren’t political. They’re despicable. The trends, frankly, are disturbing, and I hope that both candidates try to turn it around, whether or not they’re actually able to.
Three. Tomorrow, Apple CEO Steve Jobs will announce updated laptops. Besides being an avid follower of politics, I follow the technology industry. In my observation, no one is better at stealing the news cycle than Steve Jobs. He puts any political campaign to shame. Just watch for that tomorrow, in addition to the banter between the Obama and McCain campaigns.
That’s all. Have a great week, everyone!